A-Level Philosophy

Why?

Philosophy will help you to think logically and question effectively on a variety of ideas and topics. You will also study ethics and learn to make judgements about what is right or wrong, and, more importantly, to explain the reasons why. In doing so you will train your brain to think logically and learn to be an analytical thinker.

What can I expect?

Epistemology What is true knowledge? Where does knowledge come from? What even is knowledge? What are the limits of human knowledge? How do we learn things? How do you go about thinking logically? What is reality? Do we even exist?Moral Philosophy How do we decide what is right or wrong? Do ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ change depending on the situation? What did the Ancient Greeks think about ethics? Is it always wrong to steal? Should we eat meat? What are the ethics of new technologies like computer games?Metaphysics of God How can people believe in a good god when there is so much suffering in the world? Are there any good arguments for a god’s existence? What do religious people even mean by ‘god’? Is religious ‘truth’ meaningful outside the religion?Metaphysics of Mind What is the ‘mind’? What is consciousness? Are our thoughts and feelings just a result of chemical changes in the brain? Does it make sense to talk about our body being a different thing to our mind?

What do I need?

There will be a fair amount of reading in preparation for lessons and you need an interest in thinking about life and a willingness to question things. There is no particular subject that you need to have already studied.

What about the future?

Previous students of Philosophy have gone on to apply for a range of courses at university including Law, Politics, History, Geography, Economics, Sciences, Teaching and more. Philosophy develops critical thinking skills and an appreciation for the logical progression of an argument. In addition, you will learn how to structure a good essay and develop strategies to successfully challenge any argument being made. It combines well with most other 6th form courses – some students study the 3 humanities (History, Geography, Philosophy) where they can hone their skills in analysis and evaluation. However, others take Philosophy in combination with other subjects because it offers something different – a new subject not studied at GCSE where you can develop a skill set that is applicable to most career paths: The Ethics part of the course will prepare you for the ethics modules in any university sciences course and the practice of understanding an argument, looking for its flaws and then communicating a more logical alternative is essential in Law and Politics, as well as generally applicable to all university degree courses.